Love and Hurt
by xxYukiKagamixx
Summary: Everything was going so well for Aoba, however one night when he returned home…


Name: Love and Hurt

Summary: Everything was going so well for Aoba, however one night when he returned home…

Pairing: Koujaku x Aoba

Warnings: Character Death (not Koujaku or Aoba), Slash Sex, slight mention of relationship problems, grief, going into shock, mention of past depression and health scares (If I have missed anything then please let me know and I will add it to the warnings)

YukiKagami: I'm back! (Hate and abuse will be deleted, helpful criticism is good for me though)

* * *

"Koujaku, did you eat breakfast?" Aoba asked as he pressed the answer button on his coil, his boyfriend had a bad habit of not eating breakfast so Aoba had made him food today before he went to work, he knew it was edible because he had tried it himself, he wasn't the best at cooking but it was food all the same. Koujaku laughed over the other side of the phone bringing a smile to Aoba's face, Koujaku said, "Yeah, yeah, I did, it was delicious, thank you for doing that for me."

"No problem, wasn't too bad right?" Aoba asked feeling slightly nervous seeming as it might have tasted alright to him but Koujaku had a different pallet to him, Koujaku was probably grinning on the other end as he knew he could tease him right now. There was only a short pause, not long enough to make Aoba nervous but long enough to know that yes, Koujaku was wondering if he should go for it or not, Aoba almost rolled his eyes at the predictability but instead of teasing Koujaku said, "Anything you cook for me tastes good."

"Koujaku!" Aoba exclaimed as his face flushed in embarrassment, he looked around to make sure no one had heard him but Haga-san was out of the shop next door for a delivery to their neighbours, Aoba sighed in relief when he didn't see hide nor hair of the three kids either. Koujaku was chuckling lowly which signalled that something was on his mind and it wasn't exactly innocent, Aoba paused for a moment before Koujaku said in a sensual voice, "I like making you embarrassed, you call my name so sweetly."

"Koujaku, I'm at work." Aoba whined as he felt his jeans tighten a bit at the sound of his lovers voice in that tone, it was always the voice Koujaku used before making a mess of him and he had gained an instinctual reaction to it, Koujaku sighed in disappointment. Aoba felt slightly guilty, Koujaku had offered to take over with his job as he gained enough money to support them both but Aoba needed to give something to the relationship money wise, then they could live more comfortably and he wouldn't feel like he was mooching.

"I'm not quitting my job, we've talked about this." Aoba said and Koujaku sighed again, it was hard sometimes, their shifts were completely different and one would be home one day and then when they went back to work the other would be off. It was hard during the week but Aoba made sure he made up for it on the weekends and always followed Koujaku's lead unless the other wanted him to lead for a change which he always found difficult and strange but he was getting used to it.

"I know, I just wish we could spend more time together now that we're lovers, I feel like we haven't even started to honeymoon phase." Koujaku said seriously and Aoba felt his heart pump faster, this had always led to arguments before and he didn't want to start one now. He thought about his next words carefully and said, "Well, how about we go away for a while? Go on holiday? I have enough money saved to have a week away from here and then we can start that phase."

"Really? That would be great." Koujaku said sounding excited, Aoba smiled softly and listened as Koujaku started to rattle off like he usually did when he was in a good mood, it seemed that it was the right thing to say and Koujaku was already listing off locations. When Koujaku stopped talking Aoba said, "How about you pick the place and surprise me? I mean, I don't know what places would be good and you've had more travel experience then me, you have my bank information right?"

"Yeah I do and don't worry everything is going to be perfect, I'll book some time off for next week and we can go then." Koujaku said and Aoba hummed in agreement just glad that this had smoothed the argument that was going to happen before. He thought of going away with Koujaku more seriously and was thinking of all the things they could do during that time and grinned, he said, "I'll talk to Haga-san and book next week off, I've been putting in enough work and there isn't deliveries too far from the shop next week so he could do the runs, I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Alright, I'll see you then, I love you so much." Koujaku said and Aoba's heart felt like it was going to burst with warm feelings as he heard those words, since the day Koujaku had first said them it was like a glow came into his chest every time he repeated them. Aoba chuckled and leaned his elbow on the desk before putting his chin in his hand and breathed out slowly before saying, "I love you too, just make sure not to have a nose bleed thinking of all the things were going to do when we go away and even tonight as a start."

"Cheeky, I'll see you when you get home." Koujaku said sounding both amused and aroused, Aoba grinned and said goodbye before clicking the hang up button on the coil, he sighed as he flopped his hand down and leaned heavily on the desk. Now he had to get back to work, he still couldn't stand the fact that people liked his voice, even after his power had gone apparently his voice was still hypnotic to an effect and it made him nervous that the power would eventually come back.

The phone was silent however and he took a great relief that it was, he knew there was going to be a call at some point either from a new customer or from an infatuated man or woman who had decided they just wanted to listen to his voice and try to chat him up. He heard the door ring and looked up to see Haga-san walked in with a huge sigh, Aoba perked up and spoke before the older man could walk into the back of the shop where he mainly worked, "Haga-san can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course Aoba-kun." Haga-san said perking up a bit and Aoba gave a small smile, he was glad to work with the older man because he was so kind and accepting of anyone and everything so he knew he could talk to him about his relationship with Koujaku. The first time he had said about having a boyfriend Haga-san had grinned and accepted it saying that it was about time Aoba had found someone, Aoba had been both surprised and thankful but shouldn't have expected anything different.

"Will I be able to take a week off next week? Koujaku and I want to go away for a while and I checked the server and it says there is only a little work and close to the shop." Aoba said in a kind of rush because he was scared that Haga-san was going to say no. Haga-san paused for a moment before seeming to think and then went over to the monitor and flipped the screen, he looked over next week before turning with a smile and saying, "I don't see why not, you've been working brilliantly since day one and I think a holiday is well deserved."

"Thank you so much Haga-san." Aoba grinned, Haga-san grinned and reached over to pat his hand before turning it around and Aoba looked down to see he had a cut on his finger, probably a paper cut seeming as he had been going through the delivery slips. Haga-san chuckled and reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow plaster before wrapping it round Aoba's finger and said, "You need to be more careful when handling the papers Aoba-kun, I need to keep you safe unless I want Koujaku's wrath raining down on me."

"He wouldn't dare, I would kick is arse." Aoba said with a sly grin and Haga-san chuckled, Aoba sighed and leaned back before rubbing his head, he was starting to get a headache, not like the ones he used to get but still troubling all the same just in case it turned into one of them. He still took his medication sometimes, just to make sure, Baa-chan also checked him over now and then as well and she said that it always looks normal but it didn't stop them from checking regularly.

"Another headache? You've been getting more and more of them recently." Haga-san said and Aoba looked up at him as his stomach jolted in nerves, he knew the older man didn't mean to worry him because he didn't know about Aoba's secrets but his heart was fluttering. He sighed and leaned back before looking to the ceiling, what was he suppose to say to that? He didn't want to deny it and let Haga-san to become worried or feel like he was being pushed out but he couldn't exactly brush it off either.

"Yeah…just stress I think." Aoba said and he knew it was an excuse to not answer many more questions or reveal his secret, also he knew he was lying somewhat to Haga-san, but he thought it was a necessary evil rather than dragging his boss into the mess of his life and what had happened only a few months ago. Haga-san hummed and nodded in thought and said, "Well then you defiantly need a holiday, I won't have you becoming sick on my watch, you need to take better care of yourself."

"I know, it's just hard at the moment." Aoba said honestly, it was hard to look after himself at the moment, ever since what had happened he had been stressing that his other side was going to make another appearance and take over completely this time. He also worried about Koujaku because he didn't want their relationship to go down the toilet, though this new development of going away seemed to have sorted one of their problems, and also he worried about Baa-chan because she was slowly becoming more and more fragile.

"How is your grandmother? I haven't seen her out and about a lot recently." Haga-san asked and Aoba hummed in agreement, Baa-chan hadn't been going out recently because she had taken a fall and hurt her back, Aoba had tried to take care of her on his own but she was having none of it, so he had hired a carer to look after her. She was getting better the last time he had seen her but it was slow progress, he always worried about the day he would finally lose her, she was so important to him.

"She hurt her back a few weeks ago, she's fine and recovering, if a bit slowly, but I got a carer to look after her while I'm at work and with Koujaku because she wouldn't let me look after her on my own." Aoba said and Haga-san chuckled, Aoba gave him a small smile when he said, "Yes, that does sound like your grandmother, always wanting to do things on her own and not be a burden to the people she loves, I think you get that from her, I'm sorry she got hurt but I guess it comes with old age, I mean, look at me."

"You're pretty spry." Aoba said and Haga-san laughed out loud this time, Aoba laughed with him, this was one of the reasons he loved working with Haga-san, he was so easy to talk to and also he was someone who Aoba could trust with almost anything. Also he was good friends with Baa-chan and had been since before Aoba started working at the shop, it was one of the reasons he had been put forward for this job in the first place, of which he was very thankful for seeming as he had some of the best years of his life working here.

Haga-san had also helped him when he had gone into a depression, the older man had brought him out of his shell and put him on the phone, talking to people, even for a little while discussing nothing but payments and deliveries had made his days seem less grey and more comfortable. He had thought he would never be okay enough to talk to others so easily but Haga-san had known what to do from the moment he met him, he had been strict and stern in the beginning until Aoba started to become more fluid and bright.

"Remembering the old days huh?" Haga-san asked and Aoba was brought out of his memories and looked to the older man who was grinning at him, Aoba nodded and said, "I don't know where I would be if you hadn't given me a chance that day, I know you knew Baa-chan and that it was mainly a favour to her but I'm glad that even though you had only heard of me, and most things not very good to hear, I want to thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself and get better."

"You were rather in your shell when I first met you, I knew you needed some tough love so I gave it to you, you are very welcome but there is no need to thank me, just doing a good thing for both you and your grandmother." Haga-san said and Aoba smiled. He jumped when the phone rang and he picked it up before speaking the usual greeting, it was a man down the phone and he said, "Hello…I…I just wanted to hear your voice, I need a parts for my coil and thought of you."

"What part do you need sir?" Aoba asked, skipping the slightly creepy beginning, it was usually like this anyway and he was becoming more and more used to it and less annoyed seeming as he knew where it was coming from now anyway. The man hesitated before he listed off the things he needed, Aoba went onto the monitor and started to list off what the man was asking for, he clicked on them and then grinned, saying, "We have all of those parts in stock, do you want them delivered or do you want to come down to the shop?"

"Delivered please…can you bring them?" The man asked and Aoba clicked on the list so that it said, 'delivery', and thought about going to the delivery place where the man was, he knew if he met him it might stop him from being so infatuated but then again it could make things worse. He held back a sigh and tried to not be affected by the sound of the man's quickened breaths down the phone, he said, "Okay, it is to be delivered, can you please give me the delivery address and also the date and time you wish you have your items delivered?"

"Tomorrow would be good, at any time because I'm going to be off work and I can send you the address through email right?" The man said and Aoba hummed in agreement before going onto the monitor and clicking 'tomorrow' on the delivery check list. It was all sorted if the man was going to email him the address, he paused for a moment and said, "The email address is on our website, your delivery is all sorted and I will be delivering it tomorrow around afternoon, thank you for shopping, I will look out for your email."

"Okay…thank you…I can't wait to see you." The man said before the phone hung up, Aoba grimaced, that was creepy but it was a part of the job to do these things so he just had to suck it up and go to the address and try to get away as fast as possible. He remembered one of Mink's men who he had met had been one of the people down the phone who had been infatuated with him and if Mink hadn't stepped in then he was surely going to have been in a lot of trouble, hopefully this one wouldn't be as forceful.

"Are you okay Aoba-kun?" Haga-san asked and Aoba jumped slightly as he remembered his boss was in front of the desk, Aoba nodded, Haga-san didn't look too convinced and he walked around the desk and looked at the monitor screen where an email popped up. Aoba clicked on it and opened the address information before writing it down on the delivery list, then he pressed print and the printed came to life, he waited for a moment for it to finish before grabbing the paper and placing it in tomorrow's folder.

"I'm glad that delivery is for this week, don't think my old bones would be able to take walking there and back next week." Haga-san said, Aoba looked at him and noticed the older man was making a joke, Aoba chuckled before saying, "Well if I can I'm going to fill the days before next week with the long distance deliveries and then if they cannot do it this week I'll make sure to book them for after I come back off holiday, that way you won't have to make a delivery to far away."

"Good, good, just make sure not to tire yourself too much before you go away." Haga-san said and Aoba nodded, the older man walked back around the desk and sighed before reaching up onto one of the shelves and taking some pieces down. He look over them for a moment before humming, Aoba watched him for a moment before looking down at the monitor, he clicked on 'view all deliveries' and looked through the list, making mental notes on which places to delivery to first and which ones would end his day.

"I'm going to work in the back for a while, keep up the good work and I'll let you go home early today as a treat." Haga-san said and Aoba looked up at him with shock, he went to argue seeming as he was going to be away all next week but Haga-san held up a hand to stop him. Aoba clicked his mouth shut and Haga-san said, "I know you're going away next week but you've got to plan everything good and proper, Koujaku could also use a little surprise and I know he would love you being home for longer."

"Thank you Haga-san." Aoba said slightly choked and Haga-san nodded before walking into the work room of the shop, Aoba sighed and looked to the robot who was sweeping, he guessed Koujaku could use a little surprise and him coming home early would be a good one. He could just imagine Koujaku's reaction right now, his eyes would light up, his face breaking out into a handsome grin and his large arms coming around Aoba and holding him close to his warm chest as he laughed.

It was the perfect surprise, especially because of their earlier conversations, Haga-san was being very considerate and it was making Aoba smile a bit more brightly than usual, he looked at the clock and noticed he only had four hours to go before his usual shift ended. He knew Haga-san would tell him when to go home and even though he loved his job he couldn't wait to go home, maybe he could pick up some take-away before going home and make it a double surprise.

The phone rang again and he picked it up, delivering his usual line and went onto the monitor, the rest of the hour was spent answering phone calls and ticking delivery boxes before printing them out and putting them in the correct folders for the future. He then spent the next hour sorting the shelves just for something to do because the phone stopped ringing, he had just finished when Haga-san came out of the back room and said, "You can go home now, I've got everything covered."

"Thanks again Haga-san." Aoba said with a bow and Haga-san chuckled before nodding over to the desk, Aoba walked over and picked up his bag and Ren, who had been sleeping most of the day, though he woke up when Aoba picked him up and placed him in his bag, his head popping out. Aoba waved goodbye to Haga-san and walked out of the shop, he breathed in the fresh air and smiled, starting to walk, he knew exactly what take-out to get because he knew Koujaku's favourite place to eat.

It was a little walk away from work but a short way from Koujaku's flat, he walked through the less than usual busy streets, seeming as everyone was still working, he mostly took the back alleys seeming as it was quicker to do so but made sure to stay safe because you never knew. He knew he could mostly handle himself but also knew that Koujaku worried about him so made sure to not take an alley way if there was a bad feeling in his stomach when he saw a group of people down there.

He made it to the restaurant quicker than he thought he would and walked in, it was busy and he had to wait behind three people but managed to order everything Koujaku loved and then walked out of the shop with their dinner, he then made the short walk to the flat. He walked up the steps and got to the front door, he smiled and took out his keys before unlocking the door and walking inside, taking off his shoes at the door, he closed it behind him before walking into the main room, Koujaku was sitting there on his laptop looking at the screen with intense concentration.

He didn't seem to have noticed Aoba yet and so Aoba put their dinner on the table and sat down across from him, Koujaku must have been so sucked into what he was doing because he still didn't notice Aoba, his eyebrows were in a frown but his lips were slightly smiling. Aoba knew that his boyfriend was probably looking at their travel plans, he sighed loudly and Koujaku jumped before looking up, Aoba grinned at him and pointed to the take-out, Koujaku's face lit up.

"Your here?" Koujaku asked and Aoba nodded before reaching over and closing the laptop, he stood and walked around before sitting down next to Koujaku and leaning forward, Koujaku knew what he was doing and greeted him in a kiss. Aoba pressed close for a moment before pulling away and said, "Yeah, everything is sorted for next week with Haga-san and he let me go early today so I could surprise you, I got your favourite food from the restraint we went to on your birthday."

"What did I do to deserve you." Koujaku whispered before leaning in and kissing him, Aoba chuckled into the kiss before raising his arms and wrapped them around Koujaku's neck, Koujaku placed his hands on Aoba's hips and pushed his shirt up a bit before rubbing his skin. Aoba shuddered, it had always been a sensitive place, he pulled back from the kiss and said, "Are you in the mood? I said we could start the honeymoon phase as soon as I got home, well, here I am."

"Let's go to the bedroom." Koujaku said and Aoba shook his head in denial, Koujaku raised an eyebrow at him and Aoba grinned, he took Koujaku's hand and stood, bringing Koujaku with him, he walked to the bedroom and closed the door behind them. He then walked over to the bathroom and walked inside, he started to strip and put his clothes on the bench before turning around, naked, to see Koujaku roaming his eyes on him, Aoba said, "I thought we could have a bath before we get to the main event."

"I see, well then, I'm all for it." Koujaku said with a grin and Aoba watched him as he striped, revealing his tattoos and scars, once he was naked Aoba turned and walked over to the bath before running the water, he put his hand under the tap and tested the water before deeming that it was not too hot. He felt arms come around his waist and smiled before leaning back into Koujaku's chest, Koujaku said, "I might not be able to hold myself back long enough for the bath, just like last time."

"Well, if you do hold yourself back long enough for us to get to the bedroom, I'll make sure it is worth your while." Aoba said and Koujaku moaned lowly, Aoba could feel the start of an erection pressing against his lower back, he leaned over again and turned off the tap. The water was the perfect temperature and he raised a leg to get over the side of the bath before getting into the water, he turned and held out a hand for Koujaku who smiled and took it before getting into the water.

Aoba sat down and let the water come up to his chest, Koujaku got behind him and they both leaned against each other while soaking, Aoba traced his fingers around a tattoo on Koujaku's arm, he had always wondered about tattoos, he knew they hurt but he felt like getting something special for his next birthday and had always wanted a tattoo. He hadn't told Koujaku yet that he wanted a tattoo because he didn't know how the man was going to react and so decided to keep it to himself until after they had been away.

They soaked there was a while as the water grew more warm instead of hot, their hands caressing each other and Koujaku running fingers through his hair, Aoba then reached over to the small bench next to the bath and brought back some soap. He lathered it in his hands and started to wash Koujaku's arms and then turned slightly to get to his chest, he washed Koujaku slowly and carefully until he was clean, he then picked up the small bucket and scooped some water and slowly washed it into Koujaku's hair.

He picked up the shampoo bottle and lathered it into Koujaku's long locks before washing it out with the small bucket again, once he had finished Koujaku took the soap and started to wash Aoba's back, Aoba smiled softly and let Koujaku wash him as he had done for the other man. Once they were all clean Aoba stood from the bath and held out his hand, Koujaku stood and they walked out of the bathroom together, Aoba took some towels from the cupboard in the bedroom and started to dry himself and Koujaku.

Once they were dry he flopped down onto the bed and turned onto his side, his hand propping his head up, he smiled at Koujaku and made a come here motion with his free hand, Koujaku grinned and came onto the bed before lying down next to him. They both leaned in this time for a kiss, Koujaku taking control straight away and pressing his tongue into Aoba's mouth, Aoba moaned and put his hands in Koujaku's damp hair, Koujaku broke the kiss and said, "Guess this is where we get to the main event."

"Yep." Aoba said and Koujaku laughed before rolling on top of Aoba, Aoba had some ideas he wanted to try out, he would let Koujaku have his control for a while and then he would take control of their love making which he hadn't tried to do yet. Koujaku's fingers danced down his neck, then his stomach and finally his legs, Koujaku hitched up his legs onto his shoulders and reached over to the side of the bed where the lube was, he squirted some on his fingers before reaching them down to Aoba's entrance.

Aoba took a deep breath and slowly letting it out, relaxing himself, Koujaku waited for a moment before Aoba nodded and then his slick fingers started to circle Aoba's entrance, Aoba sighed and tried not to jolt or tense when the first finger was pushed inside. It used to hurt when with the first finger but it didn't anymore, as long as he didn't tense, it stung somewhat with the second finger but it quickly went away which he was grateful for, he hoped one day that it wouldn't hurt in the slightest.

Koujaku moved his finger around for a bit, pressing and pushing against his inner walls, Aoba waited for a moment and then felt the second finger push in, as he had admitted before, it stung slightly, however when Koujaku started to move it around and pull the fingers apart slightly to stretch him the pain quickly went away. He laid there and felt Koujaku's fingers searching inside him, he knew what they were searching for and couldn't wait until it was found as his erection had started to form already.

The spot was brushed inside him and a moan came out of his mouth, Koujaku kissed his cheek before pressing against the spot hard, Aoba cried out and his legs shook as pleasure coerced through his body, Koujaku peppered kisses on his neck as he threw his head back. His cock stood to full attention and Koujaku pulled his fingers out before looking into his eyes, Aoba stared back into Koujaku's red eyes with a hooded look, Koujaku said, "So beautiful, still can't believe your mine."

"I'm yours, I always will be." Aoba said and Koujaku pressed a hand to his cheek before lining up to his entrance and pushed inside, Aoba groaned at the slight ache and sting, Koujaku went slowly inside until his hips were pressed against Aoba's cheeks. He let out a breath and looked down at Aoba, Aoba smiled at him and pressed a kiss against his nose, Koujaku grinned and pecked his nose back, it was slightly childlike but that was how they were sometimes, Aoba said, "I want to try something different, if that's alright?"

"What do you have in mind?" Koujaku asked and Aoba smiled before pushing against Koujaku's chest before rolling them over until he was on top, he pushed himself up into an upright position and Koujaku's eyes were huge as he looked at him. Aoba smiled and rotated his hips which caused Koujaku to groan and pleasure to spike up his spine, he took a gulp and looked back down to Koujaku who was watching him closely, Aoba asked, "Is this okay? I understand if you don't like it."

"No, it's okay, I can see everything now." Koujaku said in a hoarse voice, Aoba blushed as he realised how right Koujaku was but also wanted to make this good for Koujaku and knew him seeing everything was something that the other man loved. He took a deep breath and lifted his hips slightly before dropping back down, he cried out as his prostate was hit and had to stop for a moment as the pleasure simmered in his lower stomach, he locked eyes with Koujaku and smiled.

"Keep going." Koujaku whispered and Aoba nodded before lifting his hips again and sliding back down, once he got used to the pleasure coursing through him every time he moved he found a rhythm which was slow and careful but also very intimate. Koujaku held onto his hips as Aoba moved slowly and their breathing was becoming pants as Aoba clenched his thighs round Koujaku's stomach and started to go a bit faster, his erection slowly bobbing up and down as he moved.

Koujaku lifted his hips for a moment and stopped Aoba from moving down with him when he relaxed, then he moved his hips up again and started to thrust upwards into Aoba, Aoba moaned and rolled his hips into the thrusts and it was a lot better with Koujaku helping. As they moved the pleasure was like a slow simmer in Aoba's stomach but it was nice, it was always good having sex with Koujaku who was so gentle and patient, always thinking of Aoba's pleasure before his own.

Aoba's legs were already aching but he was going to continue, he wanted to make this memorable and the best he had put out, Koujaku reached a hand round from his hip to his cock and gripped it softly before stroking it up and down, Aoba moaned and stopped for a moment, the pleasure too much. Koujaku chuckled before continuing to jack him off, Aoba panted as the pleasure rolled inside him and felt like it was going to burst, he had to place a hand over Koujaku's to stop him and said, "You're going to make me cum."

"There is nothing wrong with that, is there?" Koujaku asked and Aoba groaned as he placed his hand on Koujaku's, the hand wrapped around his cock continued to move up and down and he found his hips thrusting which caused Koujaku's cock to rub against his prostate. Aoba sucked in a sharp breath and pushed Koujaku's hand off his cock and leaned his hands on the man's chest, he stayed still for a moment just panting and Koujaku said, "I'm sorry, was it too much?"

"No, it's okay, just don't want to cum without you." Aoba said and Koujaku smiled, he took a moment to breath before moving again, he rolled his hips slowly and the pleasure bubbled in his stomach but it wasn't so much that he would cum any minute. He decided to try something that would bring Koujaku to the level of pleasure he was at, he squeezed his insides, Koujaku groaned loudly and Aoba smiled before moving up and down, slowly squeezing in the moment that he moved up.

"Don't do that Aoba, I'm going to cum is you don't stop." Koujaku said and Aoba nodded, he stopped squeezing and decided to only move up and down, sometimes rolling his hips as he had done before, sweat was starting to slick their skin as they continued to move together. Koujaku suddenly sat up and gripped Aoba before rolling them over so Aoba was underneath him, Aoba blinked in shock at the sudden move before Koujaku started to thrust hard, Aoba cried out as his prostate was hit over and over.

"Koujaku!" Aoba yelled as the pleasure rolled inside him, Koujaku panted as he moved, the pleasure was growing and growing, enough that Aoba knew he was going to cum, he reached out his hand and felt Koujaku's come into his own and squeeze. Aoba squeezed back, the peak hit, Aoba cried out as he cum and felt the sticky fluid spurt onto his stomach and chest between them, Koujaku stopped moving and moaned before heat flooded inside him, Aoba panted as he came down from his high.

Koujaku kissed his cheek and Aoba smiled and leaned into him as they rolled onto their sides, Koujaku's cock slipped out of him now that it had gone soft and he snuggled closer to him, Aoba sighed and closed his eyes, just resting for a moment. Koujaku started to stroke his hair and he hummed at the nice feeling, it always felt nice now that the pain was gone, he was still hesitant for other people to touch his hair except from Koujaku because when he touched his hair with those precious hands, it was so gentle and kind, it made a fuzzy warm feeling rush through him.

"We still have dinner to eat." Aoba mumbled and Koujaku hummed in agreement, both of them didn't want to move just yet Aoba knew but they needed to eat because the food was waiting for them and they needed food after the exercise they had just had. Aoba felt his stomach rumble a bit and sighed, he opened his eyes and looked to Koujaku who was watching him with soft eyes, he propped himself up on his elbow and said, "I'm hungry, we should go and eat before the food goes cold."

"It's probably already cold but I don't mind moving as long as we don't have to get dressed." Koujaku said and Aoba's face flushed at the thought of eating together while naked, however as soon as the image was in his head he couldn't deny that it wouldn't be romantic to be sitting in Koujaku's lap, naked, while eating. Aoba nodded and sat up slowly as to not strain his muscles which felt like jelly, he rolled out of the bed and walked around the bed and took Koujaku's hand and helped him up.

They walked into the main room and Koujaku sat down on the sofa, even thought Aoba wanted to be in his lap he decided to be on the floor between his legs, he sat down there and Koujaku laughed before passing him a pillow to sit on. Aoba placed it under his bottom and sat back down, he leaned back between Koujaku's legs as the man started to unwrap the food and they passed each other pieces of food with the chopsticks that were in the bag, they ate slowly and quietly.

Once they were finished they sat there for a moment and just basked in the glow of their time together, soon though they noticed that the sun was setting and Koujaku tapped his shoulder, Aoba looked over his shoulder and got a kiss, Aoba sighed in happiness and kissed back. They kissed slowly and then pulled apart, Aoba looked at the time and slowly stood, making his way back into the bedroom, he picked up his clothes and walked into the bathroom to wash out what Koujaku had left inside.

He quickly turned on the shower and stepped under it, not bothering to wash his hair but washed the sweat off his body before reaching down and pressing a finger inside him and opened himself up and turned around so his back was towards the shower and let the cum leak out and down his legs. He pressed a finger inside himself and scrapped out the cum, once he was sure it was all out he just let the water rush down him for a moment before turning off the shower.

Walking out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom he picked up the towel he had used before and dried himself off, he started to get dressed and looked over to the door where Koujaku was standing there leaning against the door frame. He smiled at him and walked over, he placed a kiss on his lips before pulling back and sighing, he said, "I have to go home and see Baa-chan, she hadn't been the same since she hurt her back and I want to go check on her, the carer should be there still to tell me how today went."

"Okay, are you coming by tomorrow?" Koujaku asked with a cheeky grin and Aoba snorted before rolling his eyes, Koujaku laughed and pulled him into his arms, hugging him, Aoba clung to him and took a deep breath and smelt the shampoo in Koujaku's hair. He pulled back and pecked his lips one last time before walking back into the main room and towards the door, he put on his shoes and opened the front door, he looked back and noticed that Koujaku had followed him, trousers on but otherwise still bare.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Aoba said and waved a hand, Koujaku grabbed the hand and pulled him in close before hugging him again, Aoba stayed there for a moment before chuckling and pulling back, Koujaku was very affectionate and cuddly, especially after sex. Koujaku let him go and Aoba paused for a moment, knowing he wanted to keep the conversation going because he wouldn't be seeing him until tomorrow night and said, "I'm going to message you when I get home, I know how you worry."

"Thank you, just be careful and don't get into any trouble, take the streets instead of the alley ways even if it means you get home faster." Koujaku said seriously and Aoba nodded before waving goodbye, he walked down the steps and down onto the street. He walked slowly, taking his time to enjoy the sunset and the fresh air, he loved walking the streets while it was this weather, the sun was still bright, illuminated the surroundings with yellows, reds and oranges, the air was cool and fresh but he was still warm.

He made his way until he was at the end of the street when he saw something which made his stomach drop, there was an ambulance outside his house, his feet picked up until he was running, the carer who had been looked after Baa-chan was outside, tears in her eyes. She spotted him just as he reached the house and she hurried over to him babbling, "I don't know what happened, I went into the kitchen to make her dinner and when I walked back into the room she just wasn't moving, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Aoba felt like his body had become numb, he looked to the front door which was open and an ambulance member was standing in the doorway, his legs started to move before his mind caught up and he was at the doorway before he could recognise where he was. The ambulance man stopped him before he could walk into the house with a hand on his shoulder, the man looked sad and said, "I'm sorry, I can't let you go in there, your Aoba right? Her grandson? Please, come with me."

"I…I need to see her." Aoba said and the man shook his head and guided Aoba away from the door and towards the ambulance car, he was guided until they made it to the car and the ambulance man opened the car door before getting Aoba to sit inside. He wrapped a tinfoil looking blanket around his shoulders and bent down so he was kneeling in front of Aoba, he said, "I'm sorry, she has passed, I know this is going to be a hard time so is there anyone you can call to come here for you?"

"Koujaku…" Aoba replied automatically, his brain feeling like static and his body shaking, the man nodded and grabbed his wrist for a moment and checking his pulse, the man sighed and rubbed his leg comfortingly before pressing on his coil. He looked through and found Koujaku's name before pressing down to dial, the ringing tone sounded and Koujaku answered almost immediately, "Aoba? I thought you were going to message me, is something wrong?"

"Hello, is this Koujaku?" The ambulance man asked and there was a pause, Koujaku immediately started to ask questions but Aoba couldn't really hear because of the water in his ears, or it could have been his blood rushing around his body to his head. The ambulance man hung up and placed his wrist down and looked at him, he said, "Koujaku is coming here right now, he told me to tell you that he won't be long, I need you to take some deep breaths for me, you're in shock."

"I'm in shock…" Aoba said and the ambulance man nodded, Aoba didn't say anything else and the man sighed before sitting down on the curb and started talking, "You know, I lost my own grandmother last year, it was a hard time for me, if I didn't have my friends and my girlfriend I wouldn't have been able to get through it, I looked after her for three years before she died, she had Alzheimer's and it was hard to see her going through that, I know your grandmother had a fall a couple of weeks back and that you've had carers looking after her when you go to work."

"It must have been hard to be away from her but I want you to know, being away from her tonight, it wasn't your fault, you had work, you were with your boyfriend and that's okay, she would have wanted you to live your life as normal." The ambulance man finished, Aoba felt the first sign of tears stinging his eyes, he heard a sob come out of his throat and bent down so his head was on his knees as he cried, the ambulance man put a hand on his back as he cried out all the pain and regret in his body.

Baa-chan had always talked about her death, she had known she didn't have long left and he had tried to brush it off and make a joke whenever she brought it up but now, with her gone, he didn't think he could deal, she had tried to prepare him but he hadn't listened. This morning when he had gone downstairs to check on her she had been her usual self and yelled at him for getting up later than usual, he had apologised profusely and she had accepted but muttered about him having a better alarm or she would become his alarm.

He couldn't believe it, that someone as healthy as Baa-chan was this morning could leave this world but it was the truth, the carer had said it, the ambulance man had said it and it was then that he saw two other ambulance men come out of the house with a gurney. On top of the gurney was a body covered with a white sheet, the outline was unmistakable and it just made this all the more real, he heard someone running up the road and looked to see Koujaku dressed in jeans and a white top running towards him.

Koujaku stopped when he saw the gurney and he closed his eyes for a moment before watching the ambulance men wheel her over to the ambulance truck, Aoba watched him for a moment before looking away as he heard Koujaku make his way over. A hand lay on his head and Aoba looked up to see Koujaku looking down at him with sad eyes and he bent down and hugged him, Aoba gripped onto him, he couldn't let him go, he wasn't going anywhere without Aoba, not from now on.

"Have you got somewhere to take him? Perhaps your place? I don't want him staying here tonight." The ambulance man asked and Koujaku nodded and slowly pulled him up on his feet, the ambulance man took the tinfoil blanket off his shoulders and smiled softly. He said, "He's in shock so it's best to keep him warm and give him lots of fluids, sleep is good idea it will give his mind and body the chance to process what has happened, keep an eye on him and call for an ambulance if you need one."

"What is your name?" Aoba asked, the ambulance man looked at him in shock and smiled, it seemed the man was happy that he was talking, the man nodded and said, "My name is Yuki, I'm going to get some numbers from the hospital and send them to you through message, it's grieving counsellors, you can go to them when your ready and I want you to stay safe, try and go about your normal life if you can, if not it's okay to take a break and spend some time with your loved ones and friends."

"Thank you." Aoba said and Yuki nodded before going over to the ambulance truck and the other men, Koujaku reached down and grabbed his hand, holding it in his own, the carer came over to them and Aoba felt a little sick to know that it was a stranger who had only been in their life for a day, who had been there and not him. She smiled through her tears and said, "I'm so sorry I didn't try and reach you, I was so worried and forgot your number, I hope your okay."

"Thank you for everything you've done for Baa-chan." Aoba said, ignoring the 'I hope your okay' because he wasn't, he was the furthest from okay he had ever been, the carer who nodded, she was probably feeling unlucky because she had gotten this shift. He let out a breath and squeezed Koujaku's hand, Koujaku said, "I think you should go home now, I've got him, thank you for being there for her today and I'm sorry that you had to witness this, I'm going to take him to my place so you don't have to worry."

"Okay, thank you." The carer said and turned away from them and started fiddling with her coil, she was probably calling someone to come pick her up because when she got here this morning she had been on foot and it was dark now. Koujaku prompted him to start walking and walked side by side with him when he started to move. They were silent during their journey, their hands never releasing their grip on each other, Aoba was thinking about everything he could have said, everything he could have done.

"It's not your fault." Koujaku whispered and Aoba looked up at him to see his distraught face, he knew Koujaku had loved Baa-chan, probably as much as Aoba did because of their history and her welcoming him like a member of the family even before she knew they were together. Aoba took a deep breath and nodded, he knew Koujaku wouldn't lie to him, he knew he would try and make him feel better but he wouldn't lie, Koujaku was right it wasn't his fault that he hadn't known but it was his fault that he hadn't been there.

He should have checked up on her when he had been let out early from work but at the time he had been single minded about Koujaku which wasn't Koujaku's fault but his own, he should have been there even if for five minutes just to make sure she was alright. Koujaku sighed as they made it to his flat and he unlocked the door before taking Aoba inside, he closed the door behind them and immediately guided Aoba into the bedroom, Koujaku immediately went to the bed.

"I want you to strip down so you'll be more comfortable." Koujaku said and Aoba nodded before taking off his shoes, his trousers and jacket, he left his boxers and top on, Koujaku checked on him and then sighed, Aoba just continued to look at the floor. Koujaku came forward and wrapped his arms around Aoba and then kissed the top of his head, he said, "I'm going to get you some water to drink and I want you to make yourself comfortable, we can spend as much time as you want watching TV and we can both take time off work tomorrow."

"Okay." Aoba said and watched as Koujaku walked out of the room and into the main room heading towards the kitchen, Aoba looked to the bed and propped the pillow up before slipping under the sheets, he snuggled down and laid there staring at the ceiling. How could Baa-chan be gone? That was the main question on his mind, her eyes had still sparkled that morning, her cheeks flushed with health and her body, though hurting, she had told him she felt better than she had for the weeks since she had taken that fall.

He hadn't had time to talk to her that much that morning because he had been late for work, he wished he had risen earlier and then he could have had a real conversation with her which he usually did when he was on time with everything. However it seemed the universe wanted to fuck him over again, he thought of his adoptive parents and where they could be, he hadn't heard from them in years and knew that they would have to be contacted, they probably would be by the people at the hospital.

Koujaku walked back into the room with a glass of water and smiled softly at him but his eyes were red, Aoba held out his hand and Koujaku took it, he placed the glass down and Aoba pulled him onto the bed and snuggled down into his chest. Koujaku sighed and wrapped his arms around him before reaching over to the remote, he turned on the TV and changed channels until he found the documentary channel on a program about space, he knew that these shows usually made Aoba drift off to sleep.

"Well, Yuki did say for you to get some sleep." Koujaku said when Aoba looked at him and he nodded turning his eyes to the TV, he watched most of the documentary before he felt drowsy, being roused only to take some water by Koujaku. It was making him tired and taking his mind off of things, he slowly found his eyes closing and this time when Koujaku tried to rouse him he found himself falling deeper into sleep, he heard something like a chuckle before he fell into his dream.

 _"So…you need me again." His own voice spoke to him, he frowned and looked from the sunset to see his double was there, he found himself strangely calm being in the presence of the one who had tried to take him over and destroy Koujaku. He sighed and looked back to the sunset, the other him sat down with him and looked towards the sun, he said, "I cared for your Baa-chan, she was a nice lady even though she spent most of our life trying to stop me from coming out."_

 _"I guess she was just afraid of losing me." Aoba said and the other nodded his agreement, the other seemed to be thinking for a moment before he grunted in annoyance and turned to face Aoba and stared at him, Aoba looked to him and the other said, "You need me right now, your head is a mess and you're going to go into self-destruct mode again and I live here too, I don't want to have to see you go into depression and waste our life again, I'm not going to take control yet but when the time comes that your too far in the deep I'm going to get us out of it."_

 _"You're a part of me." Aoba said and the other nodded with an annoyed expression as though he wasn't too happy about that, Aoba looked back at the sunset and sighed, he had guessed that the other was still inside him even though his hair had stopped hurting. He still had phone calls of men and women alike who were infatuated with his voice, he watched the sun and wondered if the fake sun would be able to make me blind, the other said, "No it won't, guess we have to get used to each other again."_

 _"Yeah…just…don't take over all the time or cause me pain." Aoba said and the other let out a big breath before a hand went into his hair and the other, instead of gripping and causing him pain like he would have in the past, he brushed the hair behind his ear. Aoba looked to him in surprise and the other smirked before saying, "I'm going to protect your body, that is what I'm going to do, anytime we are in pain then I will take over and if I think things are dangerous in any way."_

 _"Okay." Aoba said, he couldn't fight right now, he agreed instead and the other seemed surprised by this but his smirk turned into a smile, Aoba had the funny thought that all the other wanted was to be accepted by him and he had given him what he wanted in a way without outright saying it. He decided to test something and moved his arm up and around the others neck before placing his face in the other side of the others neck, the other went stiff for a moment before a the hand in his hair went down to his back._

 _"Guess it would take something like this." The other said and Aoba hummed, the other laid down and held him close to his chest, Aoba could even feel the warmth and heartbeat of the other which he guessed was his own seeming as he was sure that their heartbeats matched. He let out a breath and let himself not think, the other started to hum a song and it took him a while to recognise it, it was a song that had been sung by Baa-chan when he had been young and his adoptive parents went off on their own and left him._

He woke up slowly and heard someone moving around in the room, he groaned and blinked open his eyes to see Koujaku getting dressed, he sat up and looked to the other man and wondered what he was doing seeming as he said that they would be spending the day together. Koujaku turned to him and saw him awake, he smiled and walked over before sitting down on the bed, he said, "I'm sorry Aoba, I tried to get out of work but because I'm taking a week off I have to make up for the time I'm taking off by having more customers the rest of the week."

"It's okay, I know you tried." Aoba said but his heart sank, he wouldn't be able to be alone all day, Koujaku sighed and reached out with his hand to turn Aoba's face towards him and looked him in the eyes, he said, "You know we can cancel the trip, we don't have to go away right now, we can stay home for a while and go back to work next week, I know you're not in the right headspace to be romantic and I don't blame you, we can always go away another time and sort everything out here first."

"No. I want to go away with you as we planned, we both need it right now and Baa-chan…she would have wanted us to go, I know that, then we can come back and sort everything out then, go to work and I will too, there is no way I can be on my own right now." Aoba said and Koujaku sighed before nodding and standing from the bed, he looked over to the main room and said, "I'll wait for you to get dressed and then I'll walk you to work, they can stand me being a bit late for one day."

"Are you sure?" Aoba asked and Koujaku nodded, Aoba felt so lucky to have Koujaku, he gave a small smile and stood from the bed and gathered his clothes before putting them on, he didn't bother to shower or ask for other clothes because he didn't have time if Koujaku was walking him and had to get to work. Once he was dressed he walked over to his bag and noticed that Ren wasn't inside like he had been last night and saw him asleep on the windowsill by the bed fast asleep.

"Do you want to wake him up?" Koujaku asked and Aoba shook his head, no, he would let Ren sleep for now, he needed to rest for a while and Aoba or Koujaku would be back before he woke up anyway, he walked into the main room and slung his bag over his shoulder. He walked to the front door and opened it before walking out, Koujaku walking out behind him and closed then locked the door, they walked down the steps together and started to walk towards the shop.

They passed by some early walkers and workers who were also on their way to their jobs and they made it to the shop quickly which was a change, they didn't talk while they walked either which was okay with Aoba because of his head space but also wondered how Koujaku was doing. His boyfriend was only thinking about him and though Aoba appreciated it he wondered how the other man was feeling because he was close to Baa-chan as well and vowed to talk to him more about it when they were alone back in the flat.

Haga-san was waiting for them outside the shop and the first thing he did was bring Aoba into a hug and hold him there, Aoba felt his eyes sting but wouldn't let himself cry, Haga-san patted him on the back and pulled out of the hug before turning to Koujaku. He also brought him into a hug and Aoba gave a small smile, he was glad that Haga-san was also giving Koujaku a hug because he needed it just as much as Aoba, Haga-san pulled back and looked at them both before saying, "I'm sorry boys, she was a lovely woman."

"Thank you Haga-san." Aoba said and Koujaku took Haga-san aside for a moment before having a hushed conversation with him, Aoba knew that Koujaku was telling his boss to keep an eye on him and saw Haga-san nod and pat Koujaku's shoulder. Koujaku looked less worried now and turned to Aoba before kissing him softly on the lips, it was the first time he had done this out in the open in front of others but it was helpful to the storm of feelings Aoba was feeling as he whispered, "If I get out early I'll come pick you up, if not then I'll see you at home."

"Okay, have a good day." Aoba said softly, Koujaku smiled sweetly before nodding and turning to Haga-san he nodded and started to walk down the street, Aoba followed Haga-san into the shop and went over to his desk but was stopped before he could sit down. Haga-san gripped his shoulder and nodded towards the back of the shop, Aoba was surprised since Haga-san didn't want anyone in where he worked but also knew that the older man was suppose to keep an eye on him so walked with him into the back.

The back was different from the time he had been in it before and that had only been for a minute to tell Haga-san that one of his regular customers, an older woman, was in the shop asking for him, now it was less cluttered and looked freshly painted. He looked to the sofa in the corner and made his way over to it before sitting down, Haga-san gave him a smile and then sat down at the desk and picked up a metal plate before putting it back down and sighing, he turned to Aoba and looked him over.

"We need to talk Aoba." Haga-san said and Aoba frowned, Haga-san moved the chair he was sitting on closer until he was sitting in front of him and he placed his hands on his lap and took a deep breath and said, "I know you're going through a hard time right now, the pain is fresh and your grandmother told me what happened last time that something like this happened, when your parents left, that you went into a deep depression and the only thing that brought you out was scaring her and making her upset…"

"I don't want that happening again because this time it's going to be Koujaku who suffers." Haga-san finished and Aoba felt his heart squeeze when he thought about Baa-chan and how distraught she was when he had woken up in hospital. Then he thought of Koujaku and how he would be beside himself with worry if he turned to that life again but he knew he wouldn't do it, he wouldn't shut himself away and leave Koujaku behind in the dust as he went on a rampage of destruction.

"I'm not going to do that again, I can't, I don't want to." Aoba said and Haga-san smiled, it seemed that his words had pleased the older man and he gave a small smile back before leaning back into the sofa and closing his eyes, he needed to do something instead of thinking. He opened his eyes and leaned forward, he said, "Can you give me something to do? Like work the phone or help you in here if you don't want me to move from the room? Because I can't sit here and do nothing while thinking about what happened."

"Of course, I'll rewire the phone and the monitor into this room and then you can work." Haga-san said and Aoba nodded, he watched the older man as he walked out of the room and went into the main shop, Aoba sighed and waited as Haga-san went back and forward between the main shop and the back room. He brought in the monitor and phone before plugging them into the sockets in the work shop and even gave Aoba a little wheeled desk which he set up in front of him.

Haga-san finished and gave him a pat on the shoulder before moving away and over to his own desk where he sat down and started to work on some of the metal pieces he had there, Aoba clicked the monitor on and looked through the deliveries again, knowing he wouldn't be doing any today. He had to call some people and tell them their deliveries were going to be late, he pulled up the numbers of the people he was suppose to deliver to and then wrote them down on a piece of paper in front of him.

He would start from the morning deliveries and then work through the afternoon ones later so that people could still get through the line to make orders, he hummed and picked up the phone before dialling the first number, he held the phone to his ear and heard the ringing tone. A woman picked up and he started to talk to her about the man's delivery that had used this number, she was very polite and said it was her husband who had talked to him before and told Aoba that she would contact him at work to tell him the delivery day had changed.

Making sure that the deliveries which were far away were said to be in a week's time when he got back from holiday, he also told the ones who were close that his boss was going to personally deliver their orders with an apology for having it delivered late. Haga-san seemed pleased with his work when he put down the phone on the last person who was suppose to have a delivery this morning, he rubbed his temple as his head throbbed and looked at the monitor as he scanned the other numbers he would have to call later.

The phone was mostly silent during the day and so he took time to make the delivery sheet for next week less messy and printed it out delivery by delivery and placed it in next week's folder, he clipped some of them together if they were in the same area and made sure to write down the numbers of the people just in case. The phone rang and he picked it up to hear a man's voice, he sounded very professional which was good for him and he made an order for his fax machine.

Aoba took down his information and then looked at the location before answering with the time and date of the delivery which was going to be in a week's time, he was very honest with the man and the man was actually very nice to him over the phone even though he would have to wait. He finished the phone call and printed out the delivery before putting it into the right folder, Haga-san cleared his throat and Aoba looked up as he said, "It's about time for lunch, how about we go out today?"

"Are you sure? I mean, more people could call and someone could want to pop in." Aoba said and Haga-san nodded but said, "They can stand to call back and come round later, I want to give you a treat today, you've been working very hard and everything you've been through yesterday calls for something nice, I know a brilliant little café just down the street which serves all kinds of treats, you can order anything you like and I'll be paying, no arguing, we can even stop by to see the kids on the way back, they should be playing near here by then."

"…Thank you Haga-san." Aoba said and Haga-san smiled before going over to his jacket and putting it on, Aoba stood and waited for him to get ready seeming as he had kept his jacket on, for some reason he was feeling the cold more than usual. Haga-san opened the door for him and Aoba walked out and into the main shop before going out the front door, Haga-san locked the door behind them and then started to walk down the street, Aoba followed close behind him and they soon made it to the main street where Haga-san turned into a café.

"Welcome to café Akira." A woman said to them at the door, Haga-san bowed slightly to her and Aoba followed his lead, the woman seemed impressed and smiled, she seemed to looked Aoba over before looking to Haga-san and holding out her hand. Haga-san took it and they shook hands before the woman gave him a cheeky smile and said, "Haga-san, back again? You must really love this place, of course I love it too because it's mine, who have you brought with you?"

"Yua, this is Aoba." Haga-san said and Yua's eyes grew wide and sparkled slightly as she looked at Aoba, she held out her hand to Aoba who took it and they shook hands, she said, "So your Aoba, I'm surprised, you're a lot older than I thought you were, the way Haga-san talked about you I would have thought you were but a child, he speaks very highly of you and I'm glad we are finally meeting, Haga-san came in yesterday night and told me what happened, I give my deepest regrets for your grandmother."

"Thank you." Aoba said and she gave him a softer smile before waving her hand for them to go in, Aoba followed Haga-san into the café and they went over to one of the empty tables and sat down, the place was a lot fancier than Aoba had been expecting but it also had a homely feel which was nice. A young girl came over to them, probably in her late teens and bowed to them before asking, "What may I get you and your guest Haga-san? Do you want the usual or something different?"

"I would like the usual and Aoba here will need to look at your menu." Haga-san said and the girl nodded before plucking a menu from her arm and handed it over to Aoba, Aoba smiled at her and her cheeks flushed before she stood straight again. Aoba looked over the menu, he looked over everything before deciding what he wanted, he turned to the young girl again and said, "Can I have a caramel latte, a sweet bun with raspberry jam and a bowl of oats?"

"Would you like regular milk or soya with your oats?" The girl asked and Aoba thought about it, he liked regular milk more but then remembered that Baa-chan preferred soya and said it was a lot healthier for the body, he smiled sadly when he remembered this. He remembered her saying to him to get soya milk every week and that he didn't need to buy regular milk seeming as he was going to turn to soya eventually if she had anything to say about it and he replied, "Soya please."

"Okay, order coming up." The girl smiled and walked away from the table before going into the back, Aoba looked to Haga-san who was watching him with a soft smile, Aoba looked down to the table and sighed, he knew that Haga-san had caught the soya milk thing. Haga-san cleared his throat and said, "Hopefully Koujaku will be able to walk you home tonight, if he comes early I'll let you go home with him, you're going to need his support right now and he is going to need yours."

"I know...Koujaku, he is so good to me, I never knew how he felt before but now, I'm so happy with him and I love him so much that sometimes I'm scared of how strong the feeling is but then he proves he loves me just as much and it makes all my fears go away." Aoba said with a small smile and Haga-san grinned. Haga-san said, "I have seen a massive change in you since you two have gotten together, you are a lot happier and more grounded then you were in the past."

"Yeah, before Koujaku I was just floating through life but since he's come back, I feel like I'm actually walking hand in hand with him, I want to be with him for the rest of my life." Aoba said and Haga-san nodded, the girl came back over and placed their order in front of them before walking away. Aoba took a sip of his coffee as Haga-san said, "I can see you two getting married some day, same sex marriages are more accepted in this time and it is legal to get married, not like it was in the past, just promise me I will be there."

"Of course you're going to be there, I don't know if Koujaku is thinking of marriage right now and I don't know if I'm ready yet because we have only been in a relationship for over a year now and I want to take it slowly but if he proposes at any time I know I'm going to say yes." Aoba said and Haga-san winked at him before grinning cheekily. Aoba frowned and tilted his head to the side as he broke off a bit of the bun and popped it in his mouth, the sweet taste was nice on his tongue.

"My only regret is that your grandmother won't be here in the future to see you two bond together through thick and thin." Haga-san said softly as he looked down into his own drink, Aoba felt his heart thud hard as it squeezed as he was reminded of her death. He sighed and took another sip of his coffee, he said, "She used to talk about the day when she would be gone so many times but I always brushed it off or made a joke to break the tension, she was trying to prepare me but I guess I would have never been prepared anyway."

"She knew that, we talked sometimes over the phone or coming to this very café to have brunch and every time we talked she would bring it up, that she was getting older and my words to her was that you would never be ready for her time to go but that the people in your life right now are strong and they would help you through it." Haga-san said before starting to eat, Aoba nodded and turned to his own meal even though he wasn't feeling hungry he knew he should eat because the last thing he had eaten was dinner with Koujaku last night.

Haga-san was right, Aoba didn't have many people close to him in his life but he had friends, he had Koujaku and he had Haga-san and the kids, they were all in his life, they were all good people and Koujaku especially would be there every day. Aoba ate in silence and Haga-san finished before him but waited for him to finish as well before calling over the girl from before and she handed him the check which he paid, Aoba tried not to look at how much money was being handed over because he knew if it was a lot then he would feel guilty.

They left the café and made their way back to the shop before going inside, they went about their business for the rest of the working hours, Aoba calling people and answering the phone while looking over the monitor every now and then to make sure he had the right information. Once the time came to leave he closed everything down and shut it off, he looked to Haga-san who was stretching his back after working on another project for the last few hours, Aoba said, "I'm going to head to Koujaku's, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, make sure Koujaku brings you to work again and have a safe walk home." Haga-san said and stood before giving him a hug and walked him to the front of the shop, Aoba was shocked to see Koujaku walking down the street coming from the main road. He smiled and walked to greet his boyfriend, Koujaku gave him a smile before pulling him into a hug and held him there as he asked, "I've been worried about you all day, how has today been? You haven't done too much have you?"

"No, Haga-san has been keeping an eye on me and even took me to a café for lunch, he used to take Baa-chan there sometimes." Aoba said and Koujaku nodded before taking his hand and walking towards the main road with him, Aoba was glad that Koujaku had the time to walk him home. They walked in silence as they had that morning and Aoba remembered that he wanted to speak with Koujaku in private to see how he was doing, as they made the way to the flat they never let go of each other's hand.

They walked up the stairs to the flat and Koujaku unlocked the door, they walked inside and Koujaku closed the door behind them as Aoba took of his shoes, they walked into the main room and Aoba saw that Ren had moved from the bedroom window and was now asleep on the sofa. He smiled sadly and turned to Koujaku who went to the kitchen and got two glasses of water and passed one to Aoba who took a sip and sat down on the sofa next to Ren and started to stroke his head.

Ren's tail started to wag and Aoba chuckled at the innocent gesture of happiness, Koujaku sat down next to him and put his glass onto the table and sighed, leaning back against the cushions, Aoba turned to him and thought over the questions he wanted to ask. He waited for a moment before asking, "Koujaku…how are you? I know you loves Baa-chan just as much as me, you've been looking after me and making sure I'm okay, even having Haga-san look after me while you were at work and I want to know if your okay."

"I'm not okay but I'm going through the motions, I'm trying to keep my head straight for you but every now and then my mind goes to Baa-chan and how she is no longer here…I miss her already and I wish she could have been around a little longer, to see us maybe someday making our vows of being together forever." Koujaku said and Aoba smiled and leaned towards him before placing his head on Koujaku's shoulder, he said, "You can be here for me but I want to be here for you too, I know your suffering the same as me, just don't stray from me."

"I would never stray from you, you are the world to me and I want to help you as much as possible." Koujaku said and Aoba hummed and snuggled down into his neck before wrapping his arms around Koujaku's chest, Koujaku wrapped his arms around him and held him close. Aoba sighed and looked to the ceiling before closing his eyes, the warmth of Koujaku's body against his own was comforting, hearing his heart beating was making him tired and he whispered, "I love you, so much."

"I love you too Aoba." Koujaku said and the words rumbled against Aoba's ear, Aoba knew that they needed this holiday, he didn't even want to think about the funeral which they would have to plan when they came back but it would bring closure to the situation. He wondered again if his adoptive parents would come back and if he would see them and get the answers he needed but right now he needed to think only about Koujaku, he couldn't wait until they were alone and away from everything, hopefully things would be easier soon.

* * *

YukiKagami: Please review if you have the time, sorry I have been away for so long but this is something I have been working on for a while and sorry if it is slightly poorly written, hope you have a good day/night.


End file.
